There is a growing demand for equipment that enables an individual to monitor their own heart rate, for example when exercising to ensure they are exercising at the optimum heart rate.
Chest heart rate monitors usually comprise two electrical sensors, a chest transmitter and a receiving device, e.g. a sports watch, a smart phone or cardio equipment. The electrical sensors of the heart rate monitor pick up the electrical activity of the heart and transmit the signals to the transmitter.
Chest heart rate monitors have been incorporated into sports bras. Sports bras are usually designed to be put on by being pulled over the head, with or without additional fastening means. The bras have cup regions to support the breasts and a chest band below the cup regions to maintain the positioning of the bra on the user. Sports bras have been developed which comprise a conductive fabric on the inner surface of the chest band to transmit a wearer's heart rate to a transmitter located within or on the chest band.
One example of such a prior art sports bra is the “miCoach Seamless Sports Bra” by Adidas®, which is illustrated in FIG. 1. Sensor fibers are knit into the fabric of the chest band on the inside (chest-facing side) to pick up the heart rate signals of the wearer. The chest band comprises a pocket (not shown) within the chest band at the front of the bra (accessible from the inner surface of the bra). The chest band further comprises transmitter fastening means in the form of snap buttons 1 passing through the chest band from the front surface of the chest band into the pocket to snappily receive a small transmitter that may be placed within the pocket. Heart rate signals are routed through the conducting fabric to the transmitter.
Sports bras are generally provided in four sizes (e.g. small, medium, large, extra-large), dependent on chest size. Each size can span a number of cup sizes. The position of the bra relative to the wearer's body may change with movement of the wearer as the bra is not always well fitted due to the fact that there are only four size options. The movement of the bra increases the risk of losing the heart rate signal. Furthermore, females tend to wear sports bras for exercise only, exchanging them for everyday conventional bras afterwards, for example for aesthetic or comfort reasons.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bra for monitoring the heart rate of the wearer which may enhance the picking up of the heart rate signal and reduce the loss of the signal.
It would also be desirable to provide a bra that enables a user to monitor their heart rate during daily activities when a normal (none sport-specific) bra is worn.